


Able to Fly

by ValmureEld



Series: I Tried Not to Get Into the Witcher and Look Where That Got Me [3]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Bats, Comfort, Cuddling, Drabble, Early Kaer Morhen, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Geralt is a good dad fight me, child Ciri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-21 00:23:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14272824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValmureEld/pseuds/ValmureEld
Summary: Geralt is able to teach Ciri that not everything has to end sadly. Sometimes, things can be helped and they'll be okay again.





	Able to Fly

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Angelwithbrokenwings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelwithbrokenwings/gifts).



> My friend had a very upsetting experience so I wrote this to try and help.

“Ciri, get down this instant,” Geralt demanded, hands on his hips, frustration making him frown. The girl had disappeared two hours ago and had been hiding, presumably to avoid sword-cleaning duty, and he’d only just found her in the rafters of an old tower that was so dusty he’d sneezed four times on the way up. Her ashen head turned slowly to glance down at him, but her shoulders were hunched and there was a glint of an emotion more unpleasant than spite in her green eyes. She didn’t usually ignore him like that, and Geralt growled in the back of his throat.

“Ciri, last warning.” 

She didn’t move. 

“Fine. Think you’re the only one who can climb up there? I have news for you, that was Eskel’s favorite spot once upon a time and I know every hand hold.” 

He gave her another moment to get down on her own before he climbed up after her. His threat was not idle and he was soon crouching on the beam, making his way over in the dim light and sitting next to her. She turned away from him, hunching up, and Geralt was tempted to scold her further until he saw that she had something she was cradling in both hands. Her cheeks were wet. His irritation immediately changed to concern and he scooted a little closer, carefully shifting his weight along the beam so he could look over her shoulder. 

“Ciri, what do you have?” he asked softly, reaching out to touch her shoulder. She sniffed loudly and clutched it to her chest with one hand, scrubbing the other one over her eyes. 

“Doesn’t matter, it’s dead,” she said harshly, still avoiding him.

“Let me see?” he asked gently, holding his free hand out. 

She hesitated, but eventually she turned so they were sitting side by side. Slowly she opened her hand and lowered it away from her chest, cradling a tiny black body in both hands. 

“Where did you find him?” Geralt asked, reaching out to smooth a gentle finger along the fine bone of one of the bat’s limp wings. He put his arm around Ciri’s shoulders and she leaned into him. She was so small he could cradle the bat with her like that, and she slowly relinquished it to him. 

He held it in one palm, the soft fur cool in his hand, but the body still very soft. Frowning, he carefully turned the tiny body over, looking for damage. There was none. The bat was just very still. Not wanting to get Ciri’s hopes up, he gently slipped his arm back from around her shoulders and cradled the bat in his cupped palms, bringing it up to his face. He breathed a long, warm breath into his hands and held them closed for a few moments, his expression lighting when he felt a twitch. 

“He’s not dead, Ciri, he just got cold. Sometimes they nest too far up away from the others and these towers get draughty in the fall,” Geralt explained, opening his palms and showing Ciri the tiny bat. It was now shivering, and Geralt shifted it back into Ciri’s palms. “Cradle him against your chest,” he instructed, putting his arms around her again and guiding her. “If we get him warm again he can fly and find a better place to sleep.” 

Ciri sniffed and leaned into Geralt’s chest, handling the bat with extreme care and stroking its tiny head with her thumb. “I didn’t know what to do, Geralt,” she said after a while, her head leaning against his chest, her shoulders hunched. “I just found him while I was climbing...I couldn’t leave him like that.”

“And you didn’t, it’s alright, Ciri. You can’t save everything, but this bat was fortunate. You found him in time.”

She was quiet for a long while and then: “Like you found me.” 

The statement was very quiet, and he almost missed it. He blinked, his throat tightening a little, but he just held her a little closer and nodded. “Like I found you. And when you’re ready, you’ll fly too. You just don’t have to yet.”

Ciri nodded silently at that, snuggling a little closer and sighing. In a few minutes, the bat’s shivering subsided and he started wriggling. Ciri looked up at Geralt for confirmation and he helped her lower the animal away from her chest so it wouldn’t get hurt. 

“He looks good to go,” Geralt said, gently letting the bat’s wing free. “Open your hands and he should do just fine.” 

Ciri obeyed, and together they watched the bat take to the chilly air and disappear.


End file.
